This week, Patrick J. Freeney is the most important bodyguard on the planet.
Special Agent Freeney said: United States Secret Service New York As head of the field office, his team is responsible for 142 of the world's most influential leaders and their spouses. 79th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
The tense week in Manhattan begins and ends in a giant, airplane-like hangar stocked with 500 state-of-the-art SUVs equipped with various levels of security systems — tinted windows, emergency lights, heavy-duty engines and brakes — and deployed to ferry dignitaries and their families to the United Nations and around the city.
Freeney accompanied The Washington Post on an interview, but the location of the hub is being kept secret, as are the agencies that will use it. All we can say is that it's in one of the five boroughs.
“We're with them 24 hours a day,” Freeney said of the world leaders who come from countries ranging from Malawi to Mongolia. “The Secret Service is responsible for them wherever they go on U.S. soil — restaurants, theaters, anywhere you can think of.”
“We have 142 heads of state and 71 spouses, which means we have 200 protected individuals under our watch in a city of eight million people. We are mitigating the risks as much as we can.”
There is also a “decon” room for vehicles that are dirty and need an immediate wash.
Freeney acknowledges that the recent assassination attempt on former President Trump has put increased attention on the Secret Service.
But what's more worrying for Freeney and his team are the annual protests outside the UN, which this year are likely to be anti-Israel demonstrations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived this week amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Most countries supported Wednesday's UN resolution. The resolution sets a deadline for Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian territory amid growing international criticism of Israel.
The Secret Service must balance protecting high-risk targets like Netanyahu with protecting First Amendment rights.
“The pressures that come with this are real,” said Freeney, who first worked in the New York field office in 2000. “We try to make sure that what's going on around the world doesn't make it here. In a global threat environment, it's important to stay on top of both global and domestic threats. You have to be aware of the issues.”
The Secret Service works in conjunction with other law enforcement agencies, including the NYPD, the New York City Fire Department, the FBI, and FEMA, to carry out its mission.
“This is not an easy task and requires a high degree of coordination,” Freeney said. “Everything we put out into the world has to be taken into account, but we're committed to this.”
The United Nations consists of a total of 193 member states.
